Safety can-opener.



E. D. SMITH.

SAFETY CAN OPENER.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY 17, 1911.

Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

ZZZ/15% Witwwoeo EARL D. SMITH, OF DELPHI, INDIANA.

SAFETY CAN-OPENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 20,1912.

Application filed July 17, 1911. Serial No. 638,999.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EARL I). SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Delphi, in the county of Carroll, State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Can-Openers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to can openers and more especially to an improved safety can opener in which the cutting knife is positively guided in a line concentric to the pivot point of the opener and in which the blade is spaced from the side of the can and prevented from withdrawal. during the cutting operation. 1

The principal object of the invention resides in the construction of a peculiar form of knife or cutting blade for the opener which can be accurately and readily forced through the tin or can top to evenly guide itself in the cutting operation and to prevent withdrawal of the blade to cause in jury to the operator.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain other combinations and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed, it being a still further object of the invention to provide a device which will not be likely to get out of working order.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved can opener in use, a portion of a can being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the device. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the cutting member.

Referring to the drawings in detail, there is shown a handle 10 which may be of any preferred form although it is preferably shown as formed of a single section of metal having a reduced centrally located and forwardly extending shank portion 11, the latter of which has a reduced circular extension 12 depending therefrom and formed with a forwardly extending penetrating point 13 adapted to be forced through the can top to form a pivot for swinging the handle in a circle to sever the top thereof.

My improved knife for severing the top of the can comprises a rectangular block 14 which is provided with an opening therethrough for sliding movement upon the shank portion 11 and is adapted to engage the shoulders 15 at the formation of the shank portion with the handle to limit the outward displacement of the block. The lower portion of the block 14 is formed with a cutting blade 16 transversely thereof for a portion of its width and provided with a vertical rear non-cutting edge 17 and an inclined forward cutting edge 18 terminating at a point below the block 14 to form a short projecting portion within the area of the beveled sides of the blade forming the cutting edge 18 while the lower eX- tremity of the cutting edge at its point of juncture with the non-cutting edge 17 is formed with a cone-shaped enlargement 19 which permits the knife to be readily forced through the can top and by reason of the shoulders 20 thus formed, the accidental withdrawal of the blade is prevented. It will also be observed from Fig. 1 of the drawings that the shoulders 20 engage the inner face of the side of the can and as the blade is positioned to sever the top on a line adjacent to the side of the can, the enlarged portion of the cone-shaped member serves to space the blade from the side wall of the can and thus prevents the knife from striking said wall. and impeding the movement of the blade and further necessitating a withdrawal and further insertion of the blade as is now generally necessary with blades not employing the enlargement described. It will be further evident that as the enlargement 19 is cone-shaped, the circular formation will serve to permit the blade to be easily operated and will not project into the side wall of the can to impede the cutting operation.

I claim In a can opener, the combination with an operating lover, of a knife blade depending therefrom and disposed at right angles 100 thereto, said blade including a vertical rear advance of the lower portion of the cutting edge and an inclined cutting edge, the latter edge thereof. 10 extending upwardly from a point in spaced In testimony whereof, I aflix my signarelation to the bottom of said rear edge, and ture, in presence of two witnesses.

5 an inverted conical head integral with the EARL D. SMITH.

lower end of the blade, the inverted base of vVlitnesses: the head being of such diameter as to pro- C. J BARLEY, ject on opposite sides of the blade and in H. D. G001).

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

- Washington, 3.0. 

